Tea companies picking farmers out of poverty
Sichuan govt joins forces with local enterprises to provide jobs and training
The local government in Pingchang county in Southwest China’s Sichuan province has joined hands with tea companies to lift farmers out of poverty.
Since 2012, the government has been working with local companies to develop the tea industry and offering local farmers jobs and salaries for weeding, tea picking and processing.
Pingchang Qingya Tea Technology Co Ltd, a local tea processing company, has put 6,667 hectares of land into operation to provide more jobs for local farmers.
“The initial investment from the government was roughly 80 million yuan ($11.66 million), offering electricity, gas and land. The company has invested more than 2 million yuan,” said Zhang Zhiyong, president of Pingchang Qingya Tea Technology.
The company introduced two automatic production lines in April. Through mechanization, the output of the tea plantation increased by 100 to 166 percent.
“In the past, local farmers didn’t have stable jobs, and many of them didn’t have salaries. Now, they work in the tea plantation and can earn about 7,000 to 8,000 yuan per year,” Zhang said.
“The whole tea plantation employs a total of 100,000 farmers. From rough machining to fine machining, farmers’ income channels are extended.”
To date, the county has established a tea base of 17,200 hectares, covering 239,000 farmers in 105 villages, and 22,600 farmers from 25 poor villages have been lifted out of poverty.
Apart from the tea plantation, the local government is also developing agricultural tourism to generate more income. For example, the 32 Liang Tea Garden in Pingchang county launched a tea exposition, farming culture museum, ancient village protection group, tea culture corridor and tea landscape sculpture to attract tourists.
In 2017, the 15 tourism spots in the tea plantation drew a total of 238,000 visits. The tourism income stood at 85 million yuan, benefiting more than 1,500 poor families. Including the sales revenue brought by the tea plantation, the average extra salary for a poor family was 40,000 yuan.
He Yingzhou, union director of the Pingchang agricultural bureau, said that combining rural tourism with the tea industry extended the industrial chain, creating more opportunities for local farmers to make money.
Besides, the government has been continuously optimizing the investment environment and increasing investment promotion efforts, to encourage locals to come back home to start their own businesses.
According to the local policy, each farmer who works in the enterprise set up by the returning migrant workers is offered a 150-yuan monthly subsidy. Returning migrant workers are offered free technique training and training subsidies. They have priority access to land and loans. Every year, the local government has an award for the best returning migrant worker, with a prize of 50,000 to 100,000 yuan.
In the past two years, more than 1,700 migrant workers have come back to Pingchang county to start their own businesses. There were 739 startups, with a total investment of 460 million yuan, attracting 15,000 local farmers. Seasonal workers reached 39,000. Up to 67 cooperatives specializing in tea and 26 tea processing enterprises were set up.
“The enterprises have raised awareness of Pingchang, expanded the circulation market and increased added value,” He said.
The whole tea plantation employs a total of 100,000 farmers. From rough machining to fine machining, farmers’ income channels are extended.”
Zhang Zhiyong, president of Pingchang Qingya Tea Technology Co Ltd